


Deep Within (Through the Depths of the Wild)

by Pen Dumonium (megyal)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Community: smut_fest, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, Psychic Abilities, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-07 11:36:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1897500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megyal/pseuds/Pen%20Dumonium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A powerful seer is pushed into a bond which is necessary to save his people. He flees...but not for the usual reasons.</p><p><b>Prompt used:</b> <span class="spoiler"> As a third (or later!) child (or possibly an out-of-wedlock child, if you prefer that), a young noble who's just come of age doesn't expect to be forced into an arranged marriage. For some reason, that changes. Refusing to accept their new fate, the young noble runs away -- and their betrothed decides to hunt them down. What happens when the runaway is found?</span></p>
            </blockquote>





	Deep Within (Through the Depths of the Wild)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 'Hunter' Round on [smut_fest](http://smut-fest.livejournal.com/) on Livejournal. The prompter was alien_writings. I didn't have much hunting or much smut sorrrrryyyy

**1\. The Augur**  
Laranyanar stood at the bottom of the steep hill, shading her eyes from the midmorning sun with one glove-covered hand. High overhead, the dome shimmered protectively. She glanced back at her attendants; most of them, dressed in similar light black cloaks, gave her nonplussed stares. She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, and then returned her attention to thick hedge of the stinging bush which blocked the way up this particular hill. To get here had been a bit of an adventure in itself. The hill was the highest point on a small island in the middle of Siern Lake. The lake was in a rather secluded area of the Nerni region, which was located at the extreme eastern end of the dome. They had left the Renmoi compound just after breakfast this morning, and even though the carriages had been quite speedy, it had taken them quite some time to get to Siern Lake; the carriages had had be adjusted to cross the choppy water, wheels removed and stowed atop the metal frames. 

Presently, a soft rustling came from the thick mass of vines and a darkly scaled snake slipped through, looking up at them with huge, flat eyes. Her attendants let out soft cries of admiration, actually stepping forward to greet the snake; it cringed back into the underbrush, its black gaze fixed on Laranyanar. She imagined that it had a fearful expression, and she held up a fist.

"Stay back," she murmured. "Do not rush at the Augur."

Respectfully, they all took sizeable steps back and the snake crept out again. It dipped its head in a bare nod and then slid along the outside of the hedge. Laranyanar commanded the others to wait and then followed it, until it stopped at a seemingly unexceptional spot in the hedge. She stepped forward, a small smile curling her lips as she realised that at this particular spot, the bushes had no nettles.

"Ah, very good, Kashka," she said as she pushed through with some effort, for the hedge was quite thick. One of the branches caught at the material of her thick traveling-trousers. "You change the entrances regularly."

Falling free of the bush, she trudged up the hill behind the snake; near the summit, another hedge grew to about shoulder-height, but there were no thorns, and there was a very obvious entrance. The top of the hill, obscured by this second hedge, was flat. A massive garden took up most of the space, rows of lush green vegetables and trailing vines; to the right, a small house, its walls painted a deep blue, squatted under a tree with long, draping branches.

The snake slithered quickly inside the open door set in the middle of the wall, and Laranyanar entered the house as well. The dwelling was a single large space; to one side of the doorway, the sleeping area, dominated by a low sleeping pad. The other side had a fairly large kitchen, and the bathing and washing room was just outside, a separate structure behind the main house. She gazed at the young Augur standing in his two-legged form right in the middle of the space, his hands tightly clutching each other. They still looked quite similar, except he was now a little taller than her. Yet, there was the same long falls of smooth black hair which bracketed a narrow face, thick black eyebrows which winged slightly upwards over wide, dark eyes, and dark-brown skin. The Augur wore a long, shapeless robe, tied securely over one shoulder with a gleaming silver clasp. The other shoulder was left bare.

"Hello!" Laranyanar said, and even though she longed to rush over and throw her arms around him, she held her ground. "Hail, Augur Visyakaneshka!"

A faint smile touched his lips. "You don't have to call me that," he told her in his quiet voice. "H--how are you, Yana? And how is Mother? And Father?"

Yana looked around and located a stool just next to the door. She went over to it and sank down, sighing. "They are both well." She gave him a quick, teasing glance. "Kashka, I thought you would know without asking me?"

"I must ask many things, for I don't see as much as people think," he responded and then flinched. Under his plain grey robe, his shoulders jerked. She got to her feet in concern, but Kashka held up one hand to her, pressing the fingers of the other to the right of his brow. "Your, ah, companions are...very loud."

"I'm sorry for that, Kashka." Yana sat down again, gazing up at him with concern. He had backed up right against the wall furthest from her, his eyes cast downwards." They were eager to accompany me, and even more so to see you. Should I tell them to go back down to the boat?" Yana wondered if her missive had been sent too late. She had been so caught up in the preparations for the bonding-ceremony, and it had been only two days ago that she had sent Jonhamesh, her clever little biku-biku bird, to Kashka's island with a message that she would visit soon. Had that been enough for him to shore up his mental defences?

Kashka shook his head and continued to stare at the ground. In a few moments, he lifted his head and gave her a quick smile, firm and bright. "It's all right. I've made it better now. Do you want something to drink?" 

He whirled away before she could answer, his braid swinging at his back, bare feet light against the stone floor of the house. Yana watched him with not a little worry churning in her chest. The priests claimed that his gift was a direct blessing from the goddess Asharmek, she who possessed six heads and saw everything all around her. Yana's very private opinion was that Kashka saw too much, and she hoped Asharmek would perceive the true root of her concern. To Kashka, the weight of people's thoughts were heavy and painful, a confusing crush of emotion and sound and light. The touch of someone else's bare skin was a torturous experience, to hear him tell it. At least his visions didn't cause him too much pain... at least, Yana hoped they didn't. He hadn't mentioned if they had.

Yana watched him as he poured a sandy-coloured liquid from a massive earthenware jug into a smaller container. He brought it over to the table and set it down, backing away as she rose and stepped forward. The drink was very cool and very refreshing. She set it down with a grateful smile, returning to her place on the stool.

"Augur Visyakaneshka," she spoke as he sat gingerly at the table; she used his full name because she was about to make a very formal request. "I ask that you will be present at the bonding of our house to that of the Sunar clan."

Kashka stared at her as if she had cursed their parents. "I can't do that, Lady Laranyanar," he said. Though he took on a proper tone as well, it sounded as if he was forcing each word through his teeth. "I am not prepared."

Yana wanted to burst out in complaint, but she held her disappointment in check. Kashka eyed her warily, but it seemed as if his mental shields held firm. "You were the one who prophesised that our houses must join," she managed. "So that the dome over Jerda maintains its power. It would have been so wonderful for you to attend."

"I know," Kashka said. His dark eyes were sad, but resolute. "I just haven't managed to make myself strong enough. I've been trying," he said, and gave her a very pleading look in his lovely dark eyes. "And I've been almost there, but--" He broke off with a little twist of his mouth. "But not quite. And not enough to be at your ceremony."

Yana let out a heavy sigh. She had hoped that her presence would sway her little brother, but she would take his word. She got to her feet and let out a heavy smile. "Very well, Augur. I will return to the citadel, with your blessings."

"Always." Kashka grinned at her and then squared his shoulders, smile fading. "I would...do a deed for your attendants, if it pleases you? They may come up here, one by one...I will attempt to read their fate." At her incredulous expression, he ducked his head. "And maybe I will see if the armours I have built so far will hold."

After a beat, Yana nodded. She would have to warn all the attendants to attempt to keep their emotions in check, in order not to swamp Kashka, but they had been so excited to accompany her that it might be difficult. However, Kashka would know his limits.

"One by one," she repeated, and inclined her head. "As you wish, Augur."

+

Yana clasped her hands tightly, barely holding onto her excitement as she looked at the brightly decorated hall. Her half-finished traditional coat hung around over a loose pair of trousers and a simple sleeveless shirt. Gold swirls of protective patterns pulsed contentedly against a deep red background. She had escaped from the needles and thread of the tailors as they fitted the costume, excited to see the final bustle of preparation.

The ceremony would be held in the morning, here at House Renmoi, and everything was nearly ready. The House of Renmoi sang with excitement and ancient magic, which existed almost from the time the Strange Ones had turned the lands outside Jerda's dome into glassy, windblown surfaces. Some of the massive structures built by those bygone people still stood, towers which stood like bones against the orange sky. At the east of the dome was House Renmoi; at the west, House Sunar. To the south, in the coldest areas, was House Vilmet and to the warm north, stood House Tarkani. The continued power of the four Houses kept the dome intact; Kashka's prophesy had determined that without the joining of the east and west in this epoch, the dome's protective presence would fade, and the noxious air left by the Strange One's odd goings-on would not be filtered.

All of Jerda would be poisoned; for that reason, Yana had absolutely nothing against an arranged bonding that would help save the life of her people. 

"Look at this," Kashka's father said from behind her and she whirled to give him a tight hug. Tanit, a tall, imposing man, gaze down at her with soft brown eyes. "How exciting this for all of us!"

"Oh, I think we've been suffering through all the planning," Yana said with a laugh. They both stood for a moment, watching her mother Riashmanon haul a few tables from one side of the huge room to another, ignoring the attendants trailing after her. 

Tanit said, in a voice so low that Yana could barely hear him, "And will Kashka be attending?" Hope trembled in his quiet voice.

"No, Tanit." Yana glanced up at the side of his face, and sighed as she saw his jaw clenching. "He really wanted to, but...he couldn't."

Tanit swallowed hard and then nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but a smooth voice called their names from the entrance to the great hall.

"Lord Tanitkoya. Lady Laranyanar."

They both turned around; Yana grinned at the man who had featured so heavily in Kashka's prophesy. He had described the man perfectly in his vision: Saneem, First of the House of Sunar. However, there had been more, as if Kashka had needed everyone to be absolutely positive: _eyes above eyes_ , which would be the large spectacles he wore, braced by his broad nose; and _white threaded with black_ , which described the many shorts strands of pale hair on his head, nearly as much as the dark curls. Their people did not usually develop white hair; he was one of the few who possessed this trait. Saneem stood a bit shorter than her, built stocky and strong. His round face shone with good humour and patience.

"Saneem!" Yana reached out and gripped his closest arm. He smiled at her, indulgently, his brown eyes warm. They were both such good friends, she mused. It would be a comfortable bonding. Saneem gazed up at the many small lights which hung from the high ceiling, chin dipping in appreciative nods.

"This will be magnificent," he said and then winced as the air above them exploded. He staggered back, holding out one hand to protect his eyes from the sphere of light, which hung near the centre of the great hall. Screams rose from those who had been arranging the area. 

"What's is that?" Saneem gripped her hand tightly. His thick fingers were quite clammy. "What's going on?"

Tanit roared, "Kashka!" His shout echoed with surprise and fear. Yana looked up, squinting up at the impossibly bright source. She couldn't see clearly and a thought flailed through her mind: _I wish I could see properly right now_. Immediately, the light dimmed at least by half and Yana could clearly make out Kashka's translucent form, hovering within the lightning-flashes of the hovering sphere.

He was projecting from his island in the Siern Lake, she realised. It was astoundingly beautiful to behold, the fluttering material of his robes and the trailing tendrils of his hair. It was also exceedingly horrible at the same time.

"It's not right!" Kashka screamed, and his voice doubled and tripled against itself. He clenched his fists and clutched them to his chest. "The prophecy--"

"All the servants, leave this hall." Riashmanon snapped this out like a whip even as her voice trembled. "Lock the door. The Augur is revealing to the House."

Yana felt a rush of gratitude from her mother. Even as a projection, Kashka probably still bore the weight of so many minds focused on him.

"Kashka," Tanit called up to the nearly transparent form of his son. "Kashka, please."

The Augur groaned and clawed at the air. Yana stole a quick glance at Saneem; he stared at Kashka with his eyes so wide behind his spectacles that they seemed at risk of falling out of his head.

"If Yana bonds with Saneem, it will not be enough!" Kashka shuddered and bared his teeth. Yana felt tears brim in her eyes and slide down her cheeks; he was in so much pain. "Not enough to maintain the dynamo!"

Yana shook her head in confusion. What was a 'dynamo'? In any case, those didn't matter right now. "Then....your original prophecy has changed?"

Kashka kicked wildly, and then arched, his body trembling in a lean curve. "No! It remains the same!"

 _First in line of the House of Sunar. Third in line of the House of Renmoi. These two are to create the bond which will maintain the dome._ Kashka had made that prophesy about a year after he had retreated to the Siern Lake, and it had all been extremely detailed, right to the very date that the bonding should take place: tomorrow. 

"How can it remain the same?" Riashmanon, now at Tanit's side, wrinkled her nose in confusion. "You say that Saneem and Yana's bonding will not be enough!"

"The prophecy remains the same." Kashka, now limp, spun slowly in the air; his head lolled back and forth on his neck. His voice was an exhausted whisper, but he maintained this projection of his soul. He continued to insist: " _It remains the same._ First in Line, House of Sunar. Third in Line, House of Renmoi."

It hit Yana so suddenly that it was like someone had knocked her in the head. "It's you," she whispered, staring up at her tortured brother. Her heart broke for him; Kashka, who could see so much, was yet so unaware of his own fate. They had _all_ been exceedingly unthinking, but could they be blamed? Her mother and his father had bonded after their respective partners had died. Kashka was the fourth child of Riashmanon, after Yana, and counted as such in the House of Renmoi...but he was Tanit's _third_ child.

Third in line, House of Renmoi.

"It's you, Kashka!" Yana shouted up at him, and Kashka gaped down at her, his chest moving in rapid bursts under the drab grey shift he wore. His eyes stared wildly and then they began to roll slowly up in the back of his head. Yana released a little moan of terror.

"No," he croaked out, the whites of his eyes startling against the smooth brown of his skin. He faded away in a rapid furling of the light, like a flower closing up at dusk. Though he disappeared, his voice shook through the walls. "I cannot."

They all stood there for a long, breathless beat, staring up at the space where Kashka's near-transparent form had hovered. Then, Yana glanced at Saneem; his normally full lips were compressed into a fine line.

"Where is he?" Saneem murmured, dropping his gaze to Yana's face. He was extremely grave, and his expression only grew even more severe as Yana shook her head slowly. "Yana, I'm sorry that we won't be bonded. You're such a good friend," and he offered her a quick smile. "But we need to secure the dome."

"It's not that," Yana said and squeezed his hand. "You're wonderful, Saneem, but Kashka's mind--" she broke off, wondering just how to explain. "If he's bonded to someone else, it might destroy him."

"If they aren't," Riashmanon said, grimly. She had her arms wrapped around Tanit's waist. "Then we are _all_ destroyed."

Yana bit her lip and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened then again, she found Saneem's dark gaze boring into hers. 

She took a deep, bracing breath and said, "He's at the Siern Lake. I'll take you to him."

\+ + 

**2\. The Hunter**  
To travel through Jerda at night was not advisable. The dome was meant to filter venomous air, and keep the heavy rays of the closest star from destroying every inhabitant under the dome ... but it was not designed to keep out the monstrosities which lurked in the old cities of the Strange Ones. At his waist, Saneem buckled a longknife he had borrowed from Yana, listening as she coached her biku-biku in the message it had to carry. They stood just inside the main entry to the Renmoi compound. Two tall poles near the heavy gates cast a muted blue light over the servants as they fitted together a carriage, and hitched the traces onto the scale-covered beasts which would pull them.

"Jonhamesh," Yana said, and the tiny bird fluttered its double set of grey wings, fanned out its red crest and stared at her with beady eyes. "Return to Kashka's house. Tell him this: 'Yana and Saneem Sunar are on their way to see you'."

"Yana and Saneem Sunar are on their way to see you," Jonhamesh said promptly, its voice an uncanny copy of Yana's as it repeated the message one more time.

"Good." Yana nodded at the little beast in satisfaction and raised her cloth-wrapped arm. Jonhamesh fluttered upwards, and sped off towards the east. Saneem turned to enter the closest carriage, and came face to face with Lady Riashmanon and Lord Tanitkova. He felt the low vibrations of their emotions and, without a word, held out both hands to them. Lady Riashmanon took his left; Lord Tanitkova gripped his right.

"I will help Yana," he told them. "I will do my best."

They remained silent as they released him and embraced Yana quickly, but Saneem could still detect waves of their fear and hope rippling through the air to him. He had always been able to sense things like that from people; the stronger the emotion, the more apparent it was to him. His family were the only ones who knew right now, but Saneem had been quite eager for the bonding; to share this with someone, as he and his bond-mate would share their energies to assist the dome, would be somewhat of a relief.

As the carriage pulled out of the compound and raced through the darkness, another carriage with attendants who served as guards. As they rattled east, Saneem kept a hand near the longknife, eyes straining into the dark brush on either side of the narrow road. There were lamps atop the carriages, but their weak yellow beams could only go so far. He glanced over at Yana a few times, but he could only make out the silhouette of her thin face. He could, however, detect the grim hold she had on her panic. She worried, just as he did, over the dome which protected them; her apprehension was almost surpassed by her dismay over her brother.

In a brief, almost blinding flash, Saneem picked up an image from Yana of her brother's face. Surprised, for that rarely happened, he barely had time to note the elegant planes and a braid coiled over the brown curve of a shoulder like a black snake. After that bright flicker, he began to sense a sort of dawning in his mind. The closer they went to Siern Lake, the stronger that sensation grew. It was hard to describe; it _felt_ like watching the hazy yellow of the sun blossom over the gauzy arch of the dome, warmer and brighter by the minute. He turned his face to the left, towards the thick wooden wall of the carriage, that daybreak sensation dimmed slightly, but he could still feel it warm his cheek.

"He's so strong," he murmured, only half aware that he spoke. He felt more than saw Yana turn towards him.

"He's the Augur for all of Jerda," she said. "Even as a small boy, he knew so much. Too much."

She felt silent again. Even when Jonhamesh fluttered into the carriage, message undelivered, stillness sat with them and pressed into the empty spaces. The massive wheels of the carriages rolled from the packed soil which covered the road, onto a rocky surface which caused them to bounce rather roughly. A cold breeze nearly extinguished the lamps as they stopped and emerged from the carriages. Saneem watched in interest as Yana and the guards quickly removed the wheels from one carriage and placed them on the ground. The warmth washed Saneem from crown to sole now, in continuous waves of light that he couldn't see and he moved as in a dream; as if from a distance, he watched himself go back into the carriage, and the scaled beasts pulled it into the dark water, their flat heads bobbing as they sped ahead. The guards remained on the bank, watchful; however, Saneem formed the deep-rooted opinion that no monstrosity would dare invade the dome at this particular location... not with the power of the Augur thundering into the night.

On the island, Yana held the lamp high over her head and searched along the length of the wall-like bushes, the leaves of which seemed to whisper to Saneem in the night. He felt her puzzlement cycle towards exasperation; her panic bubbled like a stream underneath a bridge.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing between her irritated expression and the thorny brush. Yana huffed out a heavy sigh.

"There should be a way through the thorns," she explained. "Usually Kashka comes down to guide me through, as he did only a few days ago. I thought the entrance was right here!" She flung out her arm and scowled. Her eyes were shadowed in the mellow light of the lamp. Saneem stepped towards the protective layer of prickly branches, turning his head so that the leaves told their secrets directly to his ear. Without thinking too much, he trotted down quite some way. They must have made quite a sight, the two of them: Saneem half-bent as he ran, Yana chasing after him with the lamp.

He stopped so abruptly that he stumbled over his own feet, and Yana seized his arm so that he wouldn't fall right on his face.

"Here," he said with some effort, now realising that he was breathing very hard. Yana slid her hand into the shadowy space and raised her eyebrows.

"No thorns here," she said, and Saneem nodded; that particular section had seem to glow at him. "Come on." They raced up the hill, Yana leading the way. The door to the squat building stood slightly open, a thin rectangle of yellow light falling on the packed earth of the threshold.

Saneem faltered when they entered the abode of the Augur. The air was as thick as soup, even though Yana seemed to move normally. He took one laboured step after another. Yana set down her lamp on a nearby table and rushed to where a man sat on a thick mat, long legs folded and hair tumbling down his back in a messy black fall. A lot of the black hair fell over his face like a veil. Yana knelt beside the Augur and reached out a trembling hand, then snatched it back to her chest. The tight line of her mouth trembled. 

After what felt like a very long time, Saneem crouched in front of the Augur and reached out. Yana moved so quickly that he didn't realize she'd seized his closest wrist until a few beats _after_ her fingers had closed over his skin.

"Don't touch him," she said, heavily. "He can't..."

"I have to," Saneem said, with a deep and odd conviction. Yana's grip tightened and then went slack, fingers sliding away. He nodded very slowly at her and then turned his attention back to the eerily still Augur. Saneem reached out and brushed at the curtain of hair. A tingle shot up his arm and shimmered along his teeth; at the shocking sensation, Saneem's hand jerked forward and brushed the smooth cheek of Augur Visyakaneshka _._

"Oh," Yana breathed out in a quick inhale and Saneem froze, wondering if the Augur would awaken. He didn't. To Saneem, he seemed so young. Visyakaneshka greatly resembled his sister, except his face was a bit longer. Saneem could clearly feel Yana's trembling fear. Despite the power of the Augur weighing the air around them, Saneem could sense _nothing_ from him.

"He's gone," he blurted, unthinkingly.

"Gone where?" Yana grabbed him again, by the shoulder this time, and shook him roughly. "Gone _where_?"

Saneem swallowed. "In his own mind...far away. I can go in and find him."

Yana's emotions tumbled through her touch and into Saneem's mind: a blaze of confirmation, a dark sliver of suspicion and a dawning hope.

"You _are_ like Kashka. I thought it to be so." Her whisper felt very loud in the quiet of the room. The Augur's breathing was low and slow, barely audible. Saneem managed a tight smile.

"No-one under the dome is like the Augur," Saneem told her. "But there are certain things I can do."

"Then do them, _now_ ," Yana said. Her voice cracked and she reached out to retrieve the loaned longknife. "Hurry."

Saneem nodded. He breathed deeply and shifted close to Kashka's still form. Reaching out, he cupped the Augur's jaw with both hands, and closed his eyes. Against his palms, Kashka's skin was cold.

Saneem needed to go hunting, and he sank down as quickly as his mind could manage. He had the idea that if the Augur had been conscious, Saneem would have been shoved away with ease. Still, he descended carefully. From miles away and far overhead, he felt Yana's voice shimmering.

"Look for the black snake," she said.

 

+

The forest swam up to Saneem, a great ocean of green shadows. He had never seen the like before. It was disconcerting to feel the coolness under the leaves as he floated down, bare feet touching gently onto leaf-littered ground. A tight sensation encircled his neck and he reached up, fingers touching a slender, metallic collar. He frowned, but that was not the only thing that was different in this strange land. Recently, he had taken to wearing loose-fitting trousers and cloak which wrapped in many layers around his shoulders and torso, like other young people of like status. Now, peculiar inscriptions gleamed in silver curlicues against the dark background of a sleeveless vest. A strip of cloth wrapped around his waist in a tight band, made of a light-grey material. This strip served to fasten a longer skirt which fell to just below his knees. In his fist, he clutched a long, slender staff.

Above his head, some animal let out a screeching call and Saneem crouched down, craning his neck from side to side. He didn't like how these trees towered so high over him; was the dome up there, somewhere? No; not here in the mind of the Augur. The sky, what he could see of it, was a pale blue. It was so different from the burnt orange beyond Jerda's protective arch.

Saneem set off, keeping low. He pushed at the bridge of his spectacles, gaze sweeping the ground; he paused over the wide depression in the spill of colourful leaves. It looked very recent. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a quick flicker. Head snapping up, he managed to see the black tail of a snake disappear into the cool green wild. Quickly, he set off after it, bare feet barely creating a sound. He stopped from time to time, listening for the furtive rustles of scales against leaves.

At one point, he came to a massive clearing which was dominated by knee-high grass. This grass had a slight perfume which reminded him of his father's favourite fragrance. Right in the centre stood an imposing structure. It was a building made of dark-brown stone, fantastically broad at the square base and tapering to a point many levels above Saneem's head. Within rectangular openings, shadows shifted under carvings which depicted snakes frozen in battle. There was a tall enclosure made of stone as well, but it seemed to be only half-complete.

Curious, Saneem took a few steps towards the stone structure, and then spotted the snake fleeing on the opposite end of the clearing, some distance away from the quiet building. Saneem skirted along the edge, where the trees gave way to the bending grass, and took off after the black snake again.

He followed it grimly, even as the blue sky above gave way to a darker expanse dotted with small, twinkling lights. There were so many of them, and they were so beautiful, but he fixed all of his attention on tracking the snake. More than once, it led him near to the stone building.

The third time they crossed by the clearing, Saneem stopped, a frown weighing on his forehead. The snake seemed determined to lead him away from the structure, but reluctant to go too far away from it. He turned slowly, looking carefully at the stone building which gleamed faintly in the dim light. The once-gaping openings were now filled with finely made windows and doors. The outer wall was now complete, standing tall. 

Saneem hitched at the long hem of his clothing and ran towards the wooden gate which swung open at his approach. The ground inside the courtyard was covered with interlocking pavers which formed a lovely pattern. A staircase was built right into the sloping side of the structure, and when Saneem climbed it, he found himself under a portico which hadn't seemed apparent from the ground level. From behind him, he heard a whispering sound and he glanced over his shoulder down the stairs. A black snake, crawling up in his wake, froze as soon as his gaze landed on it. Saneem offered it a small smile and it bobbed its triangular head in return.

"Is it all right to go in now?" he asked it, but it simply gazed up at him with those fathomless eyes. "I suppose it is."

When he turned back around, he found himself _inside_ a stone-walled room, lamplight cascading down the rough surfaces. He had the feeling that if he looked back, the wall behind him would have no sign of a door. The Augur stood just an arm's reach away, thin body covered in a voluminous grey robe, his arms wrapped about himself.

"Augur Visyakaneshka," Saneem said and the Augur blinked at him. "Are you well?"

After a long beat, the Augur nodded slowly. He had the same fixed expression as the black snake. 

"Kashka, why did you run away?" Saneem stepped, and breathed in the power boiling between from the Augur. "And why did the snake keep leading me away from here?"

The Augur's fixed stare relaxed into a smile. It was a beautiful sight.

"I didn't run away." Kashka's voice was low, as if he didn't like to hear himself. "I know how important it is for us to bond. But...my mind was not prepared."

Saneem turned his head from side to side, taking in the fortified walls of this room, which protected the Augur so effectively.

"I had to finish this," Kashka continued, one hand motioning the space around them. "And the snake...was just having a bit of fun." His smile dimmed a little, before brightening again. "I really needed the time to complete my work, that is. You were very persistent, I must admit."

Saneem nodded. It was heartening to know that the Augur was aware and accepting of his duty. 

"Then we will be bonded, and the dome will remain strong," he murmured and Kashka bit his lip in an endearing show of bashfulness. He touched at his neck and Saneem stared at the slender gold collar encircling his throat.

"We already are," he said.

+

The hum of Jerda's dome was deafening. Saneem opened his eyes, and flinched at the crash of thoughts which battered his mind. Yana wasn't inside the Augur's abode (the real one, and Saneem knew from the cold press of the floor against his knees), but he knew she was near...waiting nervously down by the first hedge. He reeled back, falling unto his bottom with a pained "Oof!"

He clutched at his head and closed his eyes, wincing. He had never felt such a thing before; was it like this for the Augur, always? No wonder he had needed to strengthen his mental state. Their bonding must have changed his own abilities. Saneem gritted his teeth at the pain; he thought he would have had to deal with this less, not _more_. He steeled himself against the constant bombardment. He would just have to stand it. It was all a part of being bonded, and it was all for the dome.

Lips touched his own and all the voices under the dome went quiet. Saneem exhaled in relief, and opened his eyes. Kashka drew back, biting his lip. His long black hair slid along that bared shoulder. Saneem adjusted the earpieces of his spectacles, staring up at his newly bonded.

"Is that better?" Kashka's grin was brief but intensely sweet. "I hope it is."

Saneem reached for him, moving that heavy sheaf of hair from off Kashka's shoulder. "It is."

The Augur of Jerda reached out and removed Saneem's spectacles, going up on his knees to place them on a nearby shelf. Then, he got to his feet and reached down, helping Saneem to his feet and leading him towards the bed. Saneem's vision was blurred without the glass and wire which he had worn since he was very small, but he did not need them to feel the warmth of Kashka's hands pulling at the ties of his cloak, smoothing over every bit of skin as it was exposed. Under his back, the bedding felt soft. Kashka's lean body arched over Saneem, long legs straddling him on either side.

"We don't have to," Saneem reminded him, for the bond was more mental than physical. His prick, hard in his clothing, opined otherwise. He gasped as Kashka's mouth pressed on his again, with far more urgency than before. Saneem licked at his tongue, tasting the shiver of his moan. He could feel Kashka's frustration as Saneem's cloak proved tenacious. The trousers were more willing, and parted under Kashka's hands.

It was delightful to sense Kashka's wonder when his fingers closed around Saneem's thick cock, sliding up and down the length of it. In response, Saneem clutched at Kashka's soft robe, pulling up the material so that it draped from his hips. Saneem let his hands trail down the back of Kashka's legs; the man above him wriggled and pushed down against him. Their laughter turned into soft moans as their cocks rubbed together, wetness dribbling from the slits. Kashka buried his face in Saneem's neck, murmuring words that he could not understand...words as strange as a blue sky.

Kashka moaned, "Saneem," as he came, shaking. His voice echoed against Saneem's skin and deep inside his mind. It was his first time with someone else and that knowledge tumbled Saneem over into his own release, drops pattering unto his cloak.

Saneem swallowed, trying to regain his breath as Kashka slumped to one side, curling into a small ball. His hair trailed across Saneem's mouth, and Saneem made no effort to move the strands away.

"I want to see my parents," Kashka murmured against Saneem's shoulder. "And my big sister."

"You will," Saneem said. He turned over, not caring about putting his clothing to rights at the moment, and put one arm over his bond-mate's waist.

Above them, the dome sang to the burning sky.

_fin_


End file.
